Oral History Interview with Allen Pang, June 19, 2015

Oral History Interview with Allen Pang, June 19, 2015

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Track One 1:30:50

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Allen Pang. Pang was born to Chinese rice farmers on Oahu. The students at his high school were predominantly of Japanese descent, and he served alongside them in the ROTC upon entering college at the University of Hawaii. Hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, his group volunteered for the Territorial Guard. The Japanese-American students were sent to a labor battalion, while Pang enjoyed guard duty. He laments on the unfairness of this arrangement, as the Japanese-Americans were loyal to the United States. When the Territorial Guard was … continued below

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 30 min., 50 sec.)

Creation Information

Pang, Allen June 19, 2015.

Context

This audio recording is part of the collection entitled: National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection and was provided by the National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation to The Portal to Texas History, a digital repository hosted by the UNT Libraries. More information about this recording can be viewed below.

Interviewee

Pang, Allen

Interviewers

Publisher

National Museum of the Pacific War
Place of Publication: Fredericksburg, Texas

Audiences

Check out our Resources for Educators Site! We've identified this sound as a primary source within our collections. Researchers, educators, and students may find this recording useful in their work.

Provided By

National Museum of the Pacific War/Admiral Nimitz Foundation

Established in 1967, the Museum honors the 8 million Americans who served in WWII in the Pacific Theater by sharing their stories with the world. Located in Fredericksburg in the restored Nimitz "Steamboat" Hotel, the Museum partners with the Texas Historical Commission to preserve the historical resources of the era.

Description

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Allen Pang. Pang was born to Chinese rice farmers on Oahu. The students at his high school were predominantly of Japanese descent, and he served alongside them in the ROTC upon entering college at the University of Hawaii. Hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, his group volunteered for the Territorial Guard. The Japanese-American students were sent to a labor battalion, while Pang enjoyed guard duty. He laments on the unfairness of this arrangement, as the Japanese-Americans were loyal to the United States. When the Territorial Guard was dissolved, Pang entered the Army Air Forces as an aviation cadet. Upon completion of flight training, he was assigned to the 17th Bombardment Group, 432nd Bombardment Squadron, in Algeria. The unit moved to a base in Sardinia from which Pang bombed Southern Italy as a B-26 bombardier navigator. Pang details mission procedure, from briefing to debriefing, and describes the method by which a bomber would signal their fighter escort to intervene. After moving to Corsica he expanded targets across Italy and into Southern France, flying a total of 68 missions. Pang returned home and was stationed in Hawaii when the war ended. He was immediately discharged and went on to complete dental school on the G.I. Bill.

Physical Description

1 sound recording (1 hr., 30 min., 50 sec.)

Subjects

Keywords

Library of Congress Genre/Form Terms

Library of Congress Subject Headings

World War, 1939-1945

University of North Texas Libraries Browse Structure

Language

English

Item Type

Sound

Identifier

Unique identifying numbers for this recording in the Portal or other systems.

Accession or Local Control No: OH04416
Archival Resource Key: ark:/67531/metapth1610542

Relationships

Oral History Interview with Allen Pang, June 19, 2015, [transcript] ark:/67531/metapth1606894

Collections

This recording is part of the following collections of related materials.

National Museum of the Pacific War Oral History Collection

This oral history collection depicts an instrumental era in American history. In these transcripts of interviews with World War II veterans are personal experiences with the war, from the Doolittle Raid and D-Day to the Battle for Bataan.

National Museum of the Pacific War Digital Archive

The Digital Archive presents digitized collections from the Center for Pacific War Studies collections at the National Museum of the Pacific War. Collections and material are continuously being added and represent only a small portion of the archives' physical holdings.

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